Project Brazen and PRX Present “Gateway: Cocaine, Murder, & Dirty Money in Europe”
The six-part podcast series from Peabody Award-nominated Project Brazen explores Europe’s cocaine crisis through personal stories of cartel leaders, cops, journalists, and the victims caught in the middle
Project Brazen, the Peabody Award-nominated global journalism studio, in partnership with public media organization PRX, today announced the launch of “GATEWAY: Cocaine, Murder, & Dirty Money in Europe,” a new podcast series investigating Europe’s hidden world of cocaine. “GATEWAY” will debut across all major podcast platforms on Monday, June 5, 2023, with new episodes released each Monday.
The series is hosted by award-winning journalist Mitchell Prothero, who spent over a year exploring Europe’s cocaine crisis while based in Amsterdam and Antwerp. From RPG attacks on newspaper offices to the killing of entire families, Prothero reveals not only how the war on drugs has arrived on Europe’s shores, but how a new generation of kingpins are making billions of dollars. At the heart of Prothero’s reporting is the rise and spectacular fall of Ridouan Taghi, a Dutch Moroccan man who grows up to be a major drug baron only to become the star defendant in the Netherlands’ largest criminal trial. Prothero brings listeners into the custom-built “bunker” in Amsterdam where Taghi stands trial, as Special Forces with stinger missiles stand guard to prevent a suspected breakout plan by helicopter. Taghi, who has allegedly killed dozens — including journalists, attorneys, and innocent bystanders — shows the enduring power of cocaine to generate staggering wealth and shocking violence.
“The cocaine problem is bigger in Europe today than even Miami in the 1980s. Project Brazen takes audiences inside the violent world of a new generation running the trade and the brave citizens fighting back. We’re excited to share the full story for the first time,” says Tom Wright, co-founder of Project Brazen.
A two-time Baghdad bureau chief, Prothero closely covered the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the rise of the Islamic State. In 2016, he was awarded the Michael Hastings National Security Fellowship for work on jihadist militants in Europe by BuzzFeed News. Prothero currently covers crime and intelligence in Europe for VICE News. “GATEWAY” is his debut podcast series.
“GATEWAY” is executive produced and show-run by Nicholas Brennan, a documentary audio and film director based in London. Brennan previously executive produced Project Brazen’s hit podcasts “The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome” and “Resistance Stories from Ukraine.”
To date, Project and Brazen and PRX have brought listeners a variety of podcasts of global consequence, including “Fat Leonard,” “Kabul Falling,” “Corinna and the King,” “People Like Us,” “Resistance: Stories from Ukraine,” “The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome,” “Dynamite Doug,” and “Night of Show.”
“GATEWAY: Cocaine, Murder, and Dirty Money in Europe” is free to listeners everywhere across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Podcasts.
About Project Brazen
Project Brazen is a Peabody Award-nominated global journalism studio telling blockbuster stories in every form of media and creator of the Brazen network of podcasts, newsletters and documentary shorts. Founded in 2021 by the best-selling authors behind BILLION DOLLAR WHALE, Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, Project Brazen is a thriving home for the world’s best journalists and creators. Based in London and Singapore, Project Brazen has an active slate of podcasts, documentaries, books, newsletters, as well as scripted film and television. Recent hit projects include the podcasts FAT LEONARD (in-development for scripted TV with SK Global), CORINNA AND THE KING and THE SOUND: Mystery of Havana Syndrome (under development as a documentary series with XTR). Project Brazen is represented by United Talent Agency.
About PRX
PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. One of the world’s leading podcast publishers, PRX works in partnership with TED, PBS, the Smithsonian, Futuro Media, GBH, Project Brazen, and more. PRX is also home to Radiotopia, known as one of the most creative and successful podcast networks. In addition, PRX distributes trusted public radio programming to hundreds of stations nationwide, including “The World,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “This American Life,” “Snap Judgment,” “Reveal,” and “Latino USA.” PRX programs have been recognized by the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the IDA Documentary Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. In 2022, Futuro Media and PRX won a Pulitzer Prize.
